Management 3 - Essay Example

Exercise 4.3: Does the New Replace the Old – What’s Your Experience? New Organizational Change Practice Scale Delayering 0 Networks/alliances 5 Outsourcing 4 Disaggregation 5 Empowerment 5 Flexible workgroups 5 Short-term staffing 3 Reduction of internal boundaries 4 Reduction of all external boundaries 4 How prevalent are these practices in your experience? Are some practices more prevalent than others? The organizational practices identified above are already prevalent except for delayering, which one has not experienced at all.

However, in large organizations that aim to streamline operations with the aim of cost reduction and maximizing revenues, I am sure this practice exists. Some practices like outsourcing, flexible workgroups and empowerment are continually increasing in prevalence in contemporary organizations due to the benefits they provide. What conclusions do you draw about the relationship between new organizational change practices and old organizational practices? Does the old coexist with the new? Does the new replace the old?

Is the old modified with the introduction of the new? Generally, organizational change, as a process is integrated using a slow and structured transition to minimize unforeseen deviations and to cushion the effect of the change. Further, a slow transition is needed to prevent any resistance from personnel. At times, the old still coexist with the new; in some instances, the new is aimed to definitely replace the old; and still there is also some evidence of the old being modified with the introduction of the new – as the situation, funds, resources allow.

As one has experienced, there is a need to manage organizational change to ensure a smooth transition from the old to the new practices. Review Tables 4.2, 4.3, 4.4. To what extent are the emerging characteristics replacing or coexisting with traditional characteristics? Emerging characteristics slowly replace or co-exist with traditional characteristics depending on the structures, rationale, challenges and resources of the organization. There is always a need to orient current personnel on the new practices and if traditional characteristics need to co-exist, enhancing awareness of current personnel need to be undertaken to manage any resistance to organizational change.

What implications does this have for change managers? Managers must acknowledge therefore that there are strategies and techniques that they must undertake to soften the blow of organizational change by managing the change process to prevent resistance and chaos. Exercise 5.1: Scenario Construction In regard to an organization with which you are familiar: 1. What would your choice be of the five "key drivers" (see Table 5.4)? From one’s organizational experience, the five “key drivers” of performance as: customers’ needs and preferences, competitors’ strategies, technological developments, new trends and patterns, and governmental legal and labor requirements.

Customers’ needs and preferences are always changing and evolving; therefore, it is considered a key driver of organizational change. Competitors’ strategies need to be closely evaluated as a key driver of performance because any new or innovative strategy could lure customers towards patronizing their products and services; therefore, affecting one’s present and future profitability. Technological developments are rapidly changing and replace traditional and old practices. New trend and patterns need to be incorporated as applicable to one’s organization to ensure that the organization conforms to the demands of the times.

Finally, governmental regulations in terms of providing new laws and labor standards (raising the minimum wage, for example or giving of compulsory 13th month bonuses) could not be neglected and should be incorporated within the organization’s policies and procedures, as required. 2. Using these five factors as the building blocks of your scenarios, construct, in 100 words or less, the outline of a realistic, an optimistic, and a pessimistic scenario. A realistic scenario incorporates the most likely scenario through using a best guess approach on the key drivers identified.

The organization could use environmental scanning and research to build the best guess scenario. For an optimistic scenario, key players are assumed to develop on a more positive note and therefore, the organization must identify possible responses and reaction to these potential changes. Finally, a pessimistic scenario would itemize the possibilities that the organization would not be able to react and respond to the key players and therefore, the anticipated decline in sales, market shares and profits must be foreseen and addressed.